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Earthquake Preparedness in Southern California

Posted by: phoenix on April 1, 2014

Well this past weekend was a great reminder of what living in Southern California is like. With a 5.1 magnitude quake that rocked Southern California on Friday night 3/27/14, its time to brush up on what we should be thinking about to protect our home and family.

Secure your space by identifying hazards and securing moveable items.

Earthquake shaking can move almost anything, even large or heavy items. Imagine your home or workplace being picked up and shaken sideways – what would be thrown around? How can you prevent it?

START NOW by moving furniture such as bookcases away from beds, sofas, or other places where people sit, sleep, or spend a lot of time. Move heavy objects to lower shelves.

Then continue your “hazard hunt” to help identify and fix things such as unsecured televisions, computers,bookcases, furniture, unstrapped water heaters, etc. A comprehensive list of typical items at home or in commercial buildings, with recommendations for how to secure each, is on the menu at right.

Why is this important? Several people died and thousands were injured in the 1994 Northridge earthquake because of unsecured items such as toppling bookcases. According to a study from the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA), 55% of the injuries during this earthquake were caused by falling furniture or objects. Only one percent of injuries were caused by building damage. Other injuries were due to people falling or behaving dangerously. In addition, many billions of dollars were lost due to this type of damage (yes, Billions). Much of this damage and injury could have been prevented in advance through simple actions to secure these contents. This is why we recommend starting this step first.

Securing Your Space may also reduce injury or damage in other situations. For example, an NBC Today Showreport showed that unsecured TVs that fall are injuring children across the country every day! So even if earthquakes are not common where you live or work, these suggestions are worthwhile to consider.

Basic “Get Started” List

Try securing at least one item every weekend until you get everything done. Start with what you can do for free. You may need to ask others for help or to borrow tools. Perhaps you might help them in return, or help others in your community. We’re all in this together!

No cost:

Move heavy or large items to the floor or low shelves.

Move things that can fall on you away from where you spend a lot of time.

This article has been brought to you by My B & D Security where you will find Peace of Mind when using our systems, to protect your families and businesses! Contact us to get a free consultation today! Bring You Peace of Mind up and down the California Coast!